by Angela Blake
Ashlyn couldn’t tell if she was really shaking or if she was just imagining it. “I just don’t want to. I have never been the kind of girl to sleep with guys just because, and I don’t want to be that kind of girl now.”
“It doesn’t have to be just because,” Javon joked. “I’ll give you a reason.”
Ashlyn shook her head, already removing herself from the moment. She struggled to clasp her bra as she talked. “I’m not ready for that. I want to be in a relationship with a guy before I get that intimate with him.”
“Are you saying you don’t want a relationship with me?” Javon lifted his eyebrows. He looked genuinely surprised, and it set Ashlyn back for a few minutes. What was he trying to say? That he actually wanted something more than sex from her? She somehow couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I think we would need to know each other better. But, the film crew is leaving town in eight days. Then, I might never come back here.”
“Well, you’d have to move of course,” Javon said. “But you can leave the crew, or you can finish the movie if you want first, then you can come back.”
“But I can’t film if I live here,” Ashlyn said, the idea so ridiculous that she couldn’t even think straight about it.
“That doesn’t matter,” Javon said. “I have enough money to give you anything you want. And as for what you need, well, I can take care of that at night in bed.”
Ashlyn swallowed. The idea wasn’t even a possibility. Was Javon crazy? “I don’t think that would work,” Ashlyn said.
“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t like to go to bed with me every night. Just think,” Javon’s voice dropped, “we could shower together. I can help you with all of those hard-to-reach spots. Then, I’ll give you a massage to get rid of all your stress. And then, I’ll just strip you down and show you who’s boss.”
Ashlyn shook her head, even though her body like the sound of his suggestions. “I-I can’t. I love filming. It’s my life. I can’t give that up, not for anyone.”
“What if your life was receiving pleasure?” Javon replied. “What if you didn’t need to work to make ends meet, but I could provide everything you ever wanted? Tell me that doesn’t sound attractive.”
“No,” Ashlyn said more firmly. “I can’t do that. I’ve always wanted to film, and I would miss it if I couldn’t do it.”
“I could buy you a camera if that’s what you want. Come on, you will never find another guy offering you the kind of deal that I am.”
“I’m not interested,” Ashlyn said. “I don’t want a guy who just lives for pleasure. I want someone who cares about my needs. You just want to serve yourself, because you think it would be fun to have sex with me every night.” Ashlyn shook her head. “I’m not interested.”
“You are going to regret missing this opportunity,” Javon said, “but I won’t make you. It’s your choice, but I suggest you decide now.”
“I’ve decided,” Ashlyn tried to convince herself as her eyes continued to tour Javon’s body. “I can’t do something like that. You just want to do what you want to do, and in a couple of months, you would get bored with me and toss me away just like you want me to toss away my filming opportunity.” Ashlyn took a deep breath then let it out. “I’m sorry for yelling at you this afternoon. That was completely wrong of me, and I’m trying to learn to not yell so much when I’m angry.”
Javon simply nodded, but his face was set and stern.
Ashlyn nodded at Javon, her eyes dropping to his lips. Was it too late? Could she go back and say she was wrong? Should she decide in the morning after he had made love to her?
No, Ashlyn told herself. She had made her decision for a reason, and she needed to stick with her decision even if it was hard. “Goodbye,” Ashlyn said simply, opening the car door. Javon didn’t say anything as Ashlyn cleared herself out of the car’s way. The car drove away, and Ashlyn was left standing in the parking lot by herself.
Part of her regretted her decision. She knew that if she had let Javon touch her, she would have lost her mind to the pleasure. But Ashlyn also knew that it would only be short-lasting. She had to keep her eyes on her real goal.
Ashlyn began walking back to the hotel as darkness fell over the city. Ashlyn mentally fought with herself to convince herself that she would find someone better than Javon, not just someone who wanted to experience pleasure with her, but someone who really cared about her and what she wanted.
Ashlyn wondered how many guys were really available who genuinely cared about a woman. She took a deep breath. Well, maybe one day she would find them. Meanwhile, she had to finish filming here, then they would be heading into the mountains to film another part of the movie. It sounded nice and relaxing to be in a cooler climate during this hot summer heat. Maybe Ashlyn would have better luck there focusing on her career and becoming a success. She determined that no man, no matter how attractive he was would be able to distract her.
THE END
IN THE STORM: A Workplace Romance
By Angela Blake
Chapter One
Ashlyn knew that the hurricane was coming, and she knew that it was dangerous. But there was a part of her that still believed herself invincible. Everything this far in her life had turned out so well. Why should she have trouble with a little hurricane? Ashlyn stood by the window and watched the ocean dance in angry, jagged lines. The waves were coming up higher than she had ever seen them.
A few foolish surfboarders were out there trying to balance on top of the waves. Ashlyn shook her head. Now they were truly acting foolish. It was like they wanted to die. Why would they purposely put themselves in such a dangerous position? The rain droplets fell like hail pellets and blocked Ashlyn’s view. It started looking like a big, grey stew outside.
There was nothing to see out the window anymore except fat drops of rain. Ashlyn stuck her tongue out. Their filming was being put off today. They only had one more scene to complete, but they couldn’t do it until the storm had left.
Ashlyn turned and saw Brandon and Mark, standing up face to face. Neither one looked happy with each other. Ashlyn instantly felt guilty, and she went over to see what was going on.
“Don’t think you’re trying to help. I didn’t ask for you to be my mom!” Mark was saying. His face twisted into a downward snarl. Ashlyn flicked her eyes over to Brandon. His mouth was in a straight line, and his arms were crossed.
“I thought I was helping. You don’t have to get your britches in a knot over it.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m obviously the problem here. You shouldn’t ever touch my stuff! Is it yours? No, then don’t touch it.”
“Hey, guys, it’s okay,” Ashlyn said. “What happened?”
“It’s none of your business!” Mark quickly spat out. Ashlyn turned to look at Brandon, assuming he would give her a straight answer.
“Just go away,” Brandon said, his eyes not even locking on hers for an instant. “We’re working something out, and we didn’t ask for anyone else to get involved.”
His words hit Ashlyn hard. It wasn’t like she was trying to be nosy. She really wanted to help. She had thought maybe she could help sort out the disagreement. But even Brandon thought she was useless. Ashlyn frowned and turned away. Her eyebrows knit together as she tried not to cry.
She balled her hands up in fists and marched away. Maybe she did look like a baby, but she didn’t care. Brandon’s words really hurt. They didn’t have to need her help. That was fine. But he could at least have told her that civilly, instead of telling her that she was annoying them and they didn’t need anyone’s help.
Ashlyn flopped down on her bed, kicking her flipflops off and curling up in a ball. She wanted to be strong and keep herself from crying, but she had never been able to hide her emotions well. A few tears trickled down her face. Pamela and Katy, Ashlyn’s roommates, weren’t in the room, and she was grateful. Sometimes, a girl just needed to be by herself.
When Ashlyn had wiped away her few tears, she noticed how loud the wind had become. It was beating against the windows. Ashlyn wondered how strong the wind had to be to do some damage. She looked outside. While the rain didn’t let her see far, she could see a few palm trees being blown to the left. All of their leaves were flowing to the left, like an urgent invitation had been extended them and they were trying to break away from the tree to go.
Ashlyn bit the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile. Maybe Brandon would leave soon, and she could just avoid Mark. It wouldn’t be so bad. They were going to have sloppy joes that night, and maybe Ashlyn would call her mom. Maybe Ashlyn had been wrong about Brandon’s sweet-tempered character.
Two raps sounded on Ashlyn’s half-open door, and she turned around. There was Brandon standing almost contritely. “May I come in?” he asked.
Ashlyn shrugged and let the curtain fall back over the window. “Sure.”
Brandon took a few steps inside. “Do you want to sit?” It was strange to have him come in her room and invite her to sit down, but Ashlyn was tired anyway. She had been going out on the beach too much. It was making her exhausted.
Ashlyn sat cross-legged on her bed, and Brandon sat on the edge.
“Are you okay?” Brandon asked. Fifteen minutes ago, Ashlyn would have poured everything out without wavering. She had been trying this new thing where she allowed Brandon to see every side of her, where she didn’t hide anything. She knew she stood a big chance of getting hurt, but he had shown himself trustworthy so far. Ashlyn knew that she was falling hard for him, and it would be hard to leave Brandon behind if he decided at the end of her time here that he didn’t like her as much as he thought he did.
Ashlyn shrugged, and her eyes followed the carpet’s jagged pattern. “I’m fine. I’m not dying or terminally ill. I eat food every day. In comparison to a large majority of the world, I’m amazing.” Putting her problems in that perspective made her feel like a slug for throwing a miniature pity party. What did it matter if Brandon said one thing that wasn’t so nice? She still had a lot to be thankful for.
“I know,” Brandon said, leaning back on the palms of his hands. “Isn’t it crazy how we stress about the stupid stuff every day? Like just now, my argument with Mark.” Brandon closed his eyes and shook his head. “That guy is crazy, but we both got pretty upset about something stupid.” Brandon shrugged. “I didn’t want to drag you into it.”
Ashlyn pursed her lips. “You could have said that without being so harsh.”
“Was I harsh?” Brandon seemed surprised.
Ashlyn wondered if she was simply being too sensitive. Maybe he hadn’t really been that harsh. She didn’t really remember anymore, and it didn’t seem to matter. Finally, Ashlyn just shrugged. “Yeah, a little. I was only trying to help, and I just thought that, I don’t know. It kind of hurt that you didn’t need me.”
Brandon studied Ashlyn seriously for a few minutes. “Okay, let me tell you something about guys. We will love a woman if she lets us, and we will, at least I will, be faithful. But, guys, no matter how much they might like a woman, they don’t want her interfering in the disagreements they have with another man. Would you want me butting in when you’re arguing with Pamela over leaving her dirty clothes on your bed?”
Ashlyn laughed, but she understood Brandon’s point. “I guess I would be pretty irritated.”
Brandon opened his arms to Ashlyn, and she crawled over into his lap. “Sorry,” Brandon said. “But I guess we both learned something, huh?”
“Yeah,” Ashlyn replied, wrapped her arms around Brandon’s neck. “I learned that you still look really cute when you’re upset, and you learned that you better treat me like a lady.”
Brandon leaned forward and gave Ashlyn a quick peck on the cheek. “I already treat you like a lady.”
“Yeah, you do,” Ashlyn agreed. She laid her cheek against Brandon’s chest and wondered if he was thinking about the future. Every night after they had walked down to visit the turtles, Ashlyn had wondered if the two of them together was something that could last. When filming time was over, would he make some sort of effort to see her again? Where would she go? Would she be willing to stay with this man that she had known twelve days?
Chapter Two
As Ashlyn sat in Brandon’s lap, she felt him trembling. Was she really so large that he couldn’t hold her? Ashlyn pulled away from Brandon immediately to stand on the floor, but then she felt that the floor was trembling just the slightest bit.
“Do you feel that?” Ashlyn asked Brandon, looking at him with wide eyes.
Brandon nodded. “I think this hurricane is hitting us in full force.”
Ashlyn took two steps toward the window before Brandon caught her hand. “Where are you going, Ashlyn? You’re supposed to stay away from the windows in a hurricane.”
Ashlyn had never experienced a hurricane before, but Brandon obviously knew everything. “Isn’t that because the wind is so strong? What else are we supposed to do?” Ashlyn remembered watching The Wizard of Oz when she was a kid. Dorothy had been trying to reach a storm cellar. “Shouldn’t we go to the storm cellar?”
Brandon started laughing, and Ashlyn frowned at him. “What? I thought that was what you’re supposed to do.”
“Yeah, if you live somewhere that has firm ground. This house is built high-up. Didn’t you notice? There is room under the house in case the waters rise. If you go under the house, you might drown.”
“Oh,” Ashlyn looked around. “So what do we do?”
“We need to find a small room without any windows that is low down and in the middle of the house. Do you have a flashlight?”
“No,” Ashlyn said. Brandon went into action, taking Ashlyn’s hand and pulling her out of the room.
“That’s okay,” Brandon replied. “I know where some lighting is.” He pulled her along to the living room where a few people were seated calmly while others were running around like scared chickens. Brandon found a few flashlights, and they began walking through the house and finding the only windowless rooms available. People seemed to sense the leadership in Brandon and automatically followed him.
Some people calmly followed “psshawing” the thought of anything actually happening to them. There were two rooms. One was a bathroom, and the other was an empty coat closet. Brandon and Ashlyn got put in the bathroom. As everyone crowded in, Ashlyn began to get this sick feeling in her stomach. It was like she had to go to the bathroom, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to do that in privacy for a long time. Besides, if they couldn’t flush, the bathroom would start to smell.
The floor seemed to tremble again. The wind made a loud whistling sound, and Ashlyn heard something break off in the distance. She sat on the floor next to the sink and waited as Brandon herded the last occupant into the bathroom. There were nine people in the bathroom, and everyone was squished up against each other. Brandon passed out three flashlights and closed the door.
Just as he did that, the electricity started flickering. On, off, on, off. After thirty seconds of flickering, it went off and stayed off. One by one, the flashlights clicked on. “Let’s just turn on one at a time,” Brandon advised. “We don’t know how long the flashlight batteries are going to last, and I don’t want us to use them all at once.” Everyone agreed that what he was saying was a good idea. Only Mark’s flashlight glowed from the corner of the bathtub. Everyone was silent, and Ashlyn leaned her head back against the cabinet.
She could almost sleep if it weren’t for the strong wind that rattled the house occasionally and banged her head rapidly on the cabinet. Ashlyn shifted and rested her chin on her knees. She knew from that moment that it was going to be a long time before they were going to be safe.
“Where is the hurricane passing?” someone asked.
Another voice from the semi-darkness answered. “It’s supposed to pass through pretty close to here.”
“Man, what are we go
ing to do if the camera equipment is destroyed?”
A panic started to rise up in the bathroom as everyone imagined what it would be like to have their work gone. They had uploaded what they had filmed onto an external drive, but the equipment would cost thousands of dollars and take a lot of time to replace. That was when the complaining began.
“How long are we going to be stuck in this bathroom?”
“How will we know when it’s safe to go out?”
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to drive away from the storm instead of just waiting for it to hit us?”
Brandon held up his hands and seemed to take charge. Someone shone the flashlight on him like a spotlight, and he smiled. Ashlyn admired his smile from her little corner, where she had managed not to join into the complaining even though it had been very tempting.
“If someone had warned us about the hurricane, and we had been more prepared, then we might have been able to get away in a car. I guess no one here thought it was going to pass so close. But have you seen the rain outside?” A few people nodded. Pamela spoke up.
“It looked like most of the beach was covered.”
“Exactly,” Brandon said. “You guys knew it was going to be raining all day, so you didn’t film this morning. I think it’s been raining non-stop since last night.”
“Thanks, Bozo,” Mark spoke up from the back. “You’re really telling us something new.”
Brandon took a deep breath and continued, smoothly covering over the interruption. “Anyway, I don’t think the rain will let up, and there has already been some flooding, like you saw on the news. So, our best bet is to hold down the fort here and see what happens. As for when it will be safe to go out, I would assume that would be when the house stops shaking.”
Everyone was silent as the wind gave the house a particularly violent shake.
Brandon sat back down, and Ashlyn wiggled over so that she was a little closer to him than she was to Katy. Not that Ashlyn had anything against Katy, but there was something romantic about snuggling up to her man in the middle of a violent storm.
